Streetlamps
by theSunlitEarth
Summary: It's been three years since Percy and Annabeth have seen each other. Annabeth, trapped in a terrible relationship is only a shell of her former self. When Percy finds out, he is not too happy, not too happy at all.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my first Percy Jackson Fanfic (definitely not my first fanfic in general) I was just having extreme difficulty finding one that was decent (no offense to all of you who maybe wrote them). I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Percy and Annabeth are 19, Annabeth is not _supposed_ to be acting like herself, just so you all know. Sorry if it's ooc...I tried hard to make it not so, but Annabeth and Percy are kind of hard to write, I've discovered, compared to, like, Artemis Fowl. Anyway, enjoy!  
**

Annabeth sat on the couch in the cramped apartment, staring dismally at the peeling wallpaper, no emotion in her dead gray eyes.

A man came out of a room behind her, fiddling with the sleeve of his black dress shirt. He had short, light brown hair and piercing dark brown eyes. His forehead was crinkled, like he was perpetually frowning.

"I'm leaving now Annabeth," he said, not sparing her a glance. "I don't know when I'll be back. Don't bother waiting up."

Annabeth glanced up at him desperately. "Where are you going?"

"Back to work. They called, didn't you hear?" His voice suggested that the topic was closed, that she shouldn't ask any more questions.

She sighed. "Yeah, I did." She got up, walking over to him. "Well, I'll see you later then?"

He nodded, bending down and kissing her quickly, much to Annabeth's chagrin. She had been hoping for more than that. "Yeah." He then turned away, picked up a briefcase, and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Annabeth sighed again, returning to her seat on the couch. Her hair was done up beautifully and she was wearing a knee-length, strapless, midnight blue dress. She had been hoping that he would finally take her out again, that they would go to a small Italian restaurant like they used too, and that they'd walk along the river, their paths lit by wrought iron streetlamps. He hadn't even noticed the effort she had put into making herself beautiful. She had only been wrong again, and all her work had been for nothing.

**Percy's POV**

I walked up the street, slowly turning the map in my hands. I had never been exceptionally good with maps. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, looked around, and groaned. Where the heck was I?

I pulled a scrap of paper out of my pocket that had an address scribbled on it. I double-checked that I had the right street, then looked at the map again. I was so lost.

It was summer, it was evening, and it had been a couple years since I had been to Camp Half-Blood (hey, we demigods don't spend our entire lives there, just so you know). I hadn't seen Annabeth in just as long. Mom and I had been busy moving from that apartment we'd been living in for way too long. We now lived in a decent sized house; for New York anyway. I had been busy at school actually doing my work and studying for once, and Annabeth had been busy re-building Olympus. Good enough reason for our prolonged separation.

Anyway, now that I had found time, I had asked for the address to where she was living from her Dad, and now I was out on the busy streets of New York, trying to read a bloody map so I could find the place. Whoever said that life as a demigod was easy?

I turned the map again, then held it up, looking for the quickest route to street I was trying to get to. Finally I turned the map the right way and discovered the path. I pumped my fist in the air and yelled in triumph, earning a few looks from passersby.

I grinned, then followed the streets carefully. I finally arrived at the building designated on the slip of paper. I glanced at the paper again. Suite number 818; my birthday, coincidentally enough. I shrugged, then entered the building.

The lobby was kind of dingy; there was hardly any color and the sparse furniture looked like it had barely survived a massive war between the Titans and the Olympians, which I guess it had. Even the doorman looked like he would be visiting Charon pretty soon.

I wrinkled my nose at the smell; dust and mould. I made my way to the elevator, then changed my mind and took the stairs; I didn't want the elevator to randomly break down on me. Who knew if it was as old and decrepit as the rest of the place?

When I finally found the correct suite, I paused before I knocked. I wondered briefly if Annabeth really did live here. The Annabeth I knew wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. But if she really was here, I wanted to see her. So I knocked.

I waited for at least a minute before I heard someone unlock the door and turn the handle. The door swung back, and there stood Annabeth, looking absolutely beautiful and just like I remembered her. Sure, she was wearing a dress, when before she wouldn't even wear anything remotely like a _skirt_, but she was still Annabeth. But when I looked into her eyes, I saw no emotion, no anything, and I was a bit alarmed.

She blinked a couple times, then her eyes widened. "Percy...?"

_Oh gods, I missed her voice_. I nodded. "Hey Annabeth."

"Percy." She frowned, as if she was forgetting something. Then she stepped aside. "Come in."

I hesitated, something in her eyes scared me, but I entered anyway, a little bit peeved that I hadn't even gotten a hug. The apartment itself looked almost like the rest of the building; unkempt and decrepit, nothing like a room Annabeth would live in. I didn't bother taking off my shoes, the carpet was a mess anyway.

Annabeth had sat down on an old, brown couch, turning her gaze to the wall and staring, blinking only once and a while. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"I haven't seen you in a while," she said quietly, not looking at me.

I looked at the floor, frowning. "Yeah...I've been really busy, what with school and moving...hey, did I tell you that we moved?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Well," I said quickly, wanting to talk to fill the strange silence that threatened to engulf the room, "we found this little house, it's white and it has two bedroom and two bathrooms and a kitchen and stuff, and so I still have my own room, but it's quite a bit bigger."

"Hmm," she said, still not looking at me.

"Oh, and you'll be happy about this, I think. I got a couple scholarships for college. Thanks to you I really got my act together. I'm going to college in September."

"Good for you, Percy." But she didn't sound happy at all, not like I'd expected her to.

"Annabeth," I said, leaning forward so I could see her face better. "What's wrong? I talked to your dad and he said you had a boyfriend and stuff..." I paused, still unable to really accept this fact. "But he didn't tell me that you...well, you don't look so good."

To my shock, she burst into tears. "Even you don't think I look good? I put so much effort into looking nice tonight. Tyler told me he'd be taking me out, but he didn't. He didn't even notice how hard I'd tried to look nice..." she trailed off, putting her head in her hands and crying.

I blinked. "Annabeth, that's not what I'm talking about. You look...well...you look beautiful." I could feel a slight blush creeping into my cheeks. "Of course I noticed. It's your eyes. You just don't look...like you used to."

She lifted her head from her hands. Her makeup hadn't even smudged. It must have been insanely waterproof. "What do you mean?"

Now I saw emotion in her eyes. Confusion, sadness. I could read her like a book. I'd known her long enough anyway.

"I mean, your eyes just look sort of dead...I guess." I shrugged, not really sure how to put my thoughts into words.

She turned to look at me, looking absolutely bewildered. "I don't understand."

I exhaled, then got up, taking her arm and pulling her up too. "You wanted to go out, let's go out, alright? I don't think I can spend much more time in here anyway." I wrinkled my nose. "Get your shoes and let's go."

She blinked, then ran into a room, returning moments later with a pair of silver flats. She dropped them by the door, slipped them on, then grabbed a key off the counter. Once we were both out of the apartment, she locked it then slipped the key down the top of her dress. I raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

I followed her out of the apartment, we didn't speak the whole way. Once we were out of the building, she turned left and I didn't know the place nearly as well as her, so I followed.

"Where are we going, Annabeth?"

She shrugged. "Anywhere. Away from there." She glanced back at me, her gray eyes once again penetrating, as if she had been revived by the fresh air, and I could believe that.

I picked up my pace until I was walking beside her. "Why do you want to get away so bad?" I asked. "I mean, aside from the terrible smell and decor of course."

She smirked a little. "What do you know about decor, Perseus Jackson?"

"More than the person who designed that apartment building at least," I suggested.

She nodded. "Yeah, you're right about that." Her smirk faded.

"So, what? Are you going to tell me what's wrong? I've always helped you before, haven't I?"

"If you can call the advice you've given me 'help', sure, I guess so." Annabeth turned a corner onto a different street.

"Yeah, I guess I'll tell you...you're my best friend anyway," she said, glancing at me. I couldn't understand the emotion in her eyes. But at that point, I was just glad that it was back.

"I don't know. I met Tyler after we left Camp Half-Blood. He came to San Francisco for a vacation or something. We hung out a lot, then we started dating..." she paused, noticing the uncomfortable look on my face. I struggled to replace it with something like interest.

"Anyway," she said, continuing, "I moved in with him about half a year ago. At the time he was really interested in me and we barely spent a moment apart except for when he was at work. But then he started staying late a work, and saying that he had to return only an hour or so after he got home. I'm not sure, but I think he's been seeing other people. He always has an excuse though, he never trips up on a story or anything." She sighed. "I could be dreadfully wrong though, you never know."

When she stopped speaking, I noticed that I was clenching my fists. If anyone was cheating on _my_ Annabeth...I blinked, then glanced at her. I didn't really know what to say. Then the thought crossed my mind that they may have slept together, and I felt my temper rising even more. I could hear the river two blocks down begin to splash harder against the concrete that encased it.

"Percy," Annabeth's voice broke through my anger. She laid a hand on my arm and I could feel my anger receding like the waves.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I muttered. I cast my gaze around the street, spotting a small coffee shop. "Let's go there," I said, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards it.

She blinked. "Alright..."

**Alright, so let me know. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! I'm going to Phoenix for the rest of the break, so I won't be posting any more until after that. But if I get home and find lots of review, I will post. Reviews are good, flames are fine. Just critique...try not to make it evil sounding though :) Merry Christmas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, here's chapter two. I know I said that it would be a while before I posted, but I can't help it :) So here it is. I've only gotten, like, two review so far, thanks to **Morais **and **XxHuntressofArtemisxX** for those. But I want more...I'm selfish that way. So review!  
**

I pulled her across the street and into the coffee shop. The lighting was dim, usual for a coffee shop, and once we entered, I felt myself relax. The smell of coffee did that to me. I'd started drinking it when I had had to stay up late studying for exams, and now I was hooked. I didn't think that was a good thing, but I couldn't really do anything about it.

Annabeth cocked her head, looking around. "I don't think I've ever been in here."

I frowned. "Really? But it's so close to your...apartment." I wasn't really sure what to call the place where Annabeth lived with that...that...

I felt my anger rising again and forced myself to breathe. I glanced at Annabeth.

"I'm going to get coffee. Want anything?"

She glanced up at the order board. "Um..." I saw her gaze linger on a piece of chocolate cake on one of the shelves. She sighed and shook her head. "No, it's alright."

"Annabeth, let me get it for you," I said, motioning with my head towards the cake.

"I really shouldn't...I mean, you don't have to Percy."

I nodded. "Yeah, I do." I let go of her hand and pointed to a couple of comfortable-looking burgundy chairs in a corner by the window. "Go sit there and wait for me."

For a moment, she looked like she was going to argue, like the Annabeth I knew would, but she just shook her head and did what I told her to. I frowned. Something was not right with her. Maybe the guy was beating her or something.

I bit my lip, then turned and went up to the counter, ordering my coffee, a strawberry smoothie and two pieces of chocolate cake. Then I stood by the counter, waiting, and watching Annabeth.

She was sitting just as she had in the apartment, staring blankly at the wall, her eyes dead yet again. I shook my head. If I knew anything in that moment, I knew that I had to find that...freak she was living with and confront him about her, maybe even beat him up or drown him in the river if necessary.

I thought about different tactics of beating a person up while I waited. When the order finally came, I carried it all back to where Annabeth waited...somehow. Believe me, juggling two plates of cake and two glasses is a bit of a task.

When I set it down on the table, Annabeth blinked. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the smoothie.

"A strawberry smoothie," I stated, taking my coffee and leaning back in my chair.

"Is it...for me?"

"Of course. Who else would it be for? Unless you invited someone without telling me."

She picked it up and took a sip, then smiled. "Thanks Percy."

"What, no more Seaweed Brain?" I joked.

She shrugged. "You're not quite as dense as you used to be."

"That's almost a compliment," I said, smiling. "I'll take it."

She rolled her eyes. "Just don't let it go to your head. It doesn't need to get any bigger."

I shook my head. "Don't worry. Chiron deflated it for me last time we talked. Got all mad at me just because I 'accidently' uncapped Riptide in front of a bunch of the girls in my class."

"Showing off?" Annabeth inquired, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "Only a little. Hey, I've got a pretty sweet sword, alright, give me a break. And it's not like I was trying to get any of those girls to go out with me or anything. I already have..." I trailed off, feeling a slight blush on my cheeks. How can I be nineteen and still blushing over trivial things like girls? I feel like I'm twelve again. I shook my head.

"You have what?" Annabeth asked, eyeing me.

"Um, nothing." I couldn't tell her that I already had her, because I didn't. Some weirdo like that Tyler kid did. But I wanted her, more than anything. I'd never stopped wanting her, even when she'd so obviously moved on. I blinked back tears that were threatening to blow my cover. All I needed right now was to start crying. Sheesh. What was wrong with me?

"Percy," she said quietly, blinking at me with those gorgeous gray eyes of hers. "What's wrong?"

I looked back at her, not really able to form a coherent thought. All I could think about was kissing her. All I wanted to do was go back to that time that we'd had together, at Camp Half-Blood, our home.

She moved closer to me, sitting on the edge of her chair. "Percy, are you alright?"

I drew a deep breath, sitting up, looking away from her. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I just kind of zoned out a bit there."

She sat back, and I saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Well, if you're sure..." She picked up the chocolate cake and, ignoring the fork, began to eat it with her fingers.

I watched her for a moment, then smiled. "Remember when you brought me that cupcake and you and Tyson baked for my birthday?"

She nodded. "How could I forget? It looked like a brick covered in blue icing."

I laughed. "Tyson's baking skills at work, right there." I took a sip of my coffee. "And then we just sat, watching the stars, and..." I trailed off, knowing what had come next, just not wanting to say it. I could feel myself redden again.

Annabeth had begun blushing as well. "Yeah, I remember." And it sounded like she was remembering the exact thing that I was.

We sat in a comfortable silence for the next little while, after we got over the...thing, drinking our drinks and eating our cake with our fingers, even though we were a bit too old to do such a thing. People kept glancing at us, raising their eyebrows and whispering behind their hands. I suppose we did make an odd pair. Annabeth, dressed like she was going to a gala, and me in my black t-shirt and jeans eating cake with our fingers and not talking, our glances speaking all the words for us. It was the best evening I'd had in years.

Or at least it was, until Annabeth glanced at the clock, then leapt to her feet.

"Oh gods! I've got to get home. It's almost eleven! Tyler might be back already!"

_Screw him_, I thought. _Let him wonder where you are_. Out loud I said, reluctantly. "Alright we'll go." I got to my feet, then held out my hand.

Annabeth took it without hesitation and I pulled her to her feet. There was nothing I wanted more than to pull her into my arms and kiss her, but I refrained, for her sake. I wasn't sure if she'd appreciate it.

However, just as we had begun walking towards the door, Annabeth gasped and hid behind me. The door to the coffee shop opened and a guy with light brown hair and dark eyes entered, followed by some Barbie doll blonde. I frowned, glancing over my shoulder at Annabeth.

"You know them?"

**Sorry these chapters cut off in such funny places, but I didn't write the story in chapters, so I need to find places where they split decently and those apparently do not exist. But please REVIEW! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, this is the second last chapter. This story was only, like, twelve pages long, but I like it. Anyway, I got this GREAT review last chapter essentially about my grammar being not that good and my characters being really ooc and stuff (if you didn't pick up the sarcasm...well, I'm being sarcastic. It's not great). Now, in case I didn't make this clear the first time, I don't want reviews that just tell me my story is bad. Tell me WHY, give me examples. I do this for people that I give not so great reviews to. If you give this to me, I can then improve my writing. If you just tell me it's bad, then I just get mad and rant like I am now. Also, I don't want review saying that my grammar is fantastic if it's not. Plus, Annabeth and Percy are NINETEEN. They won't act the same as they did when they were twelve. Anyway, now that I am done, thank you so much to all those who reviewed my previous chapter, and here's the next one :D**

She nodded, then shook her head. "Sort of," she whispered. "The guy is Tyler."

At these words, I felt anger surge through me. So _this_ was the guy who _my_ Annabeth was living with. And it looked like he was cheating on her, if the blonde grabbing his arm and fluttering her eyelashes was any indication.

I scowled, beginning towards him, but Annabeth grabbing my arm stopped me. "Percy, don't. Can we just leave and get back to the apartment before he sees me?"

I shook my head. "Not a chance Annabeth. Do you see that girl he's with? I don't think she's just a co-worker."

"It doesn't matter Percy," she said frantically, tugging on my arm, trying to pull me towards the door.

"Annabeth, it does matter. He's taking you for granted, and I'm not putting up with that." I pried her hand from my arm, then stalked over to Tyler, my fists clenched.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to sound as civilized as possible while I felt like I could just deck the guy right in the middle of the coffee shop. And if it came to that, I would.

He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"That's not really important right now." I glanced over my shoulder at Annabeth.

Tyler followed my gaze, then his eyes widened. He glared. "Annabeth, why aren't you back at the apartment?"

The blonde beside Tyler narrowed her eyes. "You already have a girlfriend?" she screeched. She then slapped Tyler across the face. "Jerk!" She stormed out of the coffee shop.

I shrugged, smirking a little. "Sounds like she's not too pleased."

Tyler glared at me. "Well, you must be Percy Jackson. Annabeth's talked about you too much for me not to know."

I glanced back at Annabeth. This was not a particularly smart move on my part, as the minute I turned away, I was punched in the face by the jerk himself.

I stumbled backwards, but nothing started bleeding or anything. Thank the gods for invulnerability. I shook my head, getting even angrier. "Bad move," I growled before running forward and returning the punch.

Tyler fell back against the counter. I could hear the people around us gasp, but I was too engaged in beating up the guy who had cheated on Annabeth to care.

"Annabeth deserves way better than you!" I yelled at him. I could feel the anger running through my veins and I knew that any moment the toilets in the bathroom might explode, along with the sinks and the containers of hot water they used for the tea and coffee that were sitting on the counters.

"And you suppose that you're better?" Tyler hissed once he had recovered.

I felt a hesitation in my gut. Maybe I wasn't. Maybe that was why Annabeth and I had gone our separate ways in the first place. But there was one thing that I did know.

"At least I wouldn't cheat on her!"

Tyler scowled furiously. "No, you just leave her feeling like she'll never measure up to you, and that you'll always be a hero."

I blinked. _What? What did that mean?_ I glanced at Annabeth again. "You feel like that? Why would you feel like that? You were as much of a hero as I was, and you even..." I broke off. People were watching. I couldn't just go rambling on about Olympus and such. People would think I was crazy, if they didn't already.

Annabeth stared at me, her eyes wide. "Percy, that's not entirely true-"

But she didn't have a chance to finish, because while my back was turned, Tyler tackled me. We fell to the side, crashing into a table and breaking it in half with our combined weight. Coffee cups from the table smashed around us, splattering us, and the people who had been sitting at the table moments before we hit it, with scalding coffee.

It was at least two minutes before some of the bigger guys in the shop pulled us apart. I was still trying as hard as I could to knock the guy unconscious, but with three guys holding me back, it wasn't working so well.

Once we were pretty much on different ends of the shop, I calmed down a little and stopped trying to punch everything I could reach. Annabeth now stood in the middle of the shop, looking from me to Tyler, then back to me, then back to him worriedly.

The guys holding me finally loosened their grip. I was still seething; I didn't know what I should do now. I could see that Tyler was bleeding profusely from his nose and lip; this made me feel a bit better, but my rage with him still wasn't spent.

Then I saw Tyler pull himself away from the guys holding him, and as he walked over to Annabeth, who was looking up at him in terror. I struggled against my guards, but they didn't let me go. Annabeth never had a look like that on her face. This guy must really mean business. I looked around, but no one was moving. They were all watching the scene unfold before them, transfixed.

Tyler stopped in front of Annabeth, his arms folded across his chest. He would have looked a lot more intimidating if he didn't have blood all over his face. He scowled at Annabeth.

"So, does this mean you choose him," he jerked his head towards me, "over me? Should I take this as a breakup?"

Annabeth looked, for just a moment, like she might black out, but then she looked over at me, and I guess something she saw changed her battle plan (although I couldn't imagine what), and instead of fainting, she turned back to Tyler, her eyes the steely gray I always remembered them to be.

"Yes. I think you sho-"

But before she could even finish her sentence, Tyler slapped her, hard, across the face.

My anger swelled.

"Oh, now you've done it," I whispered as the sound pipes bursting reached my ears. I could feel the water rushing through the shop, I could hear people gasp as their shoes were submersed. I closed my eyes and concentrated. It didn't even matter that I was pinned to the wall.

The water gushed through the coffee shop, and then a massive wave rose up right in front of Tyler. It was only seconds before it had engulfed him. I heard the bell over the door ring as he was carried outside and slammed into the wall of a building across the street by the wave before being deposited, unconscious, on the ground.

I exhaled, then glanced at Annabeth. In the sudden flood, the guys holding me had let go and I ran over to her.

"Sorry about your shoes," I said quietly as I pulled her from the shop while everyone else was occupied with their feet being soaking wet.

Annabeth said nothing as I led her a few blocks down the road to the path along the river. While we walked, I ran my fingers absently through my hair, trying to make it look a bit better as it was probably a complete mess. That kind of thing could still happen, much to my eternal chagrin, even if you were invulnerable. By that time, we had reached the river's edge. The lamps were lit and the midnight sky was as starry as it could get in the middle of New York. I stopped by a bench.

Annabeth looked up at me when we stopped, anger mingled with relief in her eyes. "Percy, why did you do that? You pretty much _destroyed_ that coffee shop, and now they're going to have to renovate or something, plus you threw Tyler against a wall and knocked him out. Why would you do such a thing?!"

I blinked. Why was she yelling at me? Shouldn't she be happy I'd gotten rid of that creep that had hurt her? I looked at her, stunned.

"What?"

"You heard me!" she yelled. "You always do things, thinking you're helping, and all you're doing is making them worse!" She shook her head, then slapped me across the face.

My eyes widened and I felt my heart breaking. She really didn't want me anymore...she really had moved on. I'd been hoping, beyond hope...but no. That was it. I hesitated for a moment, then began walking away. I didn't know what else to do. What else was there to do?

I was already a few meters away when she called my name. "Percy!"

I hesitated, a surge of hope in my chest. I heard her footsteps behind me. She walked around so that she was in front of me, then she did what I least expected and hugged me.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I blinked, not sure if I could get any more confused.

"You saved me from the worst relationship ever." She looked up at me. "He said that if I ever tried to leave him, he'd kill me." She let go of me and lifted the hem of her dress a little. I saw a large purplish bruise in the lamplight.

"He...he beat me up a lot. I was scared of him, you know. And you saved me from him, just like everything else you've saved me from."

I shook my head, unable to look away from that bruise. It made me even angrier than I had been when that jerk had slapped her in the coffee shop. I tore my gaze away and looked up at her face. "Annabeth. I...I love you. I would never leave you with him."

She let go of her dress, looking up at me. "Percy...oh gods, I love you too." She wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I was just upset, and worried that you wouldn't want me back after I was with that...that...you know who for so long."

I hugged her back this time, breathing in her scent, memorizing how she felt against me. I was enraptured by her, I had never stopped loving her, I knew that for sure. "That would never happen Annabeth. I would never _not_ want you back."

After a moment, I pulled back a little, then, slowly, I lowered my lips to hers and kissed her. She ran her fingers through my hair, and in that moment, while we stood there, in the lamplight, I knew that I could never be apart from her again.

When we finally broke apart, I looked down at her breathlessly. "Do you want to come back to my house? Stay there? I want to show it to you anyway."

She nodded immediately. "Yes, Percy, I do want to. I couldn't spend another minute in that room."

"Definitely. I can go and get your stuff tomorrow."

"What, you think I'm not capable?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just don't want you to have to see that jerk again." I felt more protective over her than now than ever.

She smiled. "Thanks. I can take care of myself though, just so you know," she added in a fiercer tone.

"Yeah, I know." I shook my head, remembering all the times Annabeth had chewed me out over something, or stabbed some maniacal monster in the middle of a battle.

She grabbed my hand. "Let's just go Seaweed Brain. Lead the way."

**Um, so, with my brilliant memeory, which I do honestly have, I forgot that Percy is invulnerable...so I fixed it. Thanks so much to Adonai63 for that correction. This is taking place after TLO...Thank you for reading and please, REVIEW :D  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here's the last chapter, as promised. Happy New Year, by the way! It's 2010 and it promises to be a good year :D I'm sorry if this becomes a bit ooc. I tried, and it was hard to put in some decent fluff and keep them in character. I tried though, I promise. But here's hoping you like it. Review!**

I led her to my car, a deep blue Toyota Camry. We drove for twenty minutes, the drive taking about twenty minutes less than usual thanks to the lack of New York traffic. We pulled up to my house and I parked the car on the street. There was a solitary light on that shone through the front window welcomingly. I took Annabeth's hand and pulled her up the steps. I unlocked the door and we were accosted by the smell of freshly baked cookies as soon as I opened the door.

"Mom!" I called, knowing that she was still awake. She said she wouldn't go to sleep until she found out how Annabeth was doing.

Sure enough, my mom came hurrying down the stairs only moments later.

"Annabeth!" she cried, hugging Annabeth so tightly that even I winced.

She hugged Mom back. "Hi Sally."

My mom had convinced Annabeth to just call her Sally a long time ago.

Mom glanced at me over Annabeth's shoulder briefly, and the look she gave me meant that I had to tell her everything as soon as possible. I rolled my eyes.

"Mom, can Annabeth stay here for...a while?"

Mom let go of Annabeth and smiled at her. "Of course. And I was just making cookies so you two can have some."

"Lay off mom," I muttered. "We're not twelve anymore."

"I'd love a cookie Sally," Annabeth said graciously, casting a look over her should at me that plainly said, _And you'll have one too_.

I exhaled loudly.

Mom ignored me. She smiled and went into the kitchen, emerging moments later with a plate of blue cookies. She placed the plate in Annabeth's hands.

Annabeth nodded her thanks, then looked around. "You've got a beautiful house."

Mom smiled. "Thank you dear. Percy picked it out."

I shook my head and grabbed Annabeth's arm. "Alright Mom, we're going upstairs now.

"But what about Annabeth? Where's she going to sleep? I think you should give her your bed Percy..." but I didn't hear the rest of her sentence because I had dragged Annabeth up the stairs and into my room.

Annabeth glanced at me. "Where _am_ I going to sleep Percy? And I don't have pajamas or a toothbrush or anything." She set the massive plate of cookies on my dresser and looked at me expectantly.

I sighed, flopping down on my bed. "I guess I didn't really think about that." I looked up at my ceiling, trying to find patterns in the roof.

Annabeth picked up a cookie and bit off a piece. "Mmmm...I haven't had one of your mom's cookies for a long time." She began walking around my room, looking at all the movie posters and wall hangings of the ocean. "I like your room Percy."

I laughed a little. "My mom designed it. She refused to let me paint it black and put up gothic art."

Annabeth glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow.

When she said nothing, I lifted my head, looking at her. "I'm kidding. I like it. It reminds me of the place I feel most comfortable."

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, it's nice. Much nicer than that room in Tyler's apartment..." she shuddered.

I winced, sitting up. "Alright, I have one rule for this room. Don't mention that...guy."

Annabeth smirked. "Perseus Jackson, are you..._jealous_?"

I hesitated, then muttered, "Maybe."

Her smirk softened to a smile and she finished her cookie while walking over to my bed. Then, much to my pleasure, she kneeled on the bed, legs on either side of mine, and wrapped her arms around my neck. My stomach did backflips.

"Don't be jealous Percy," she whispered. "I was only with Tyler because I needed something to take my mind off the fact that I hadn't seen you in so long. The only reason I stayed with him is because he threatened me. I didn't love him."

"You should have called." That was the largest sentence I could manage at that moment. Annabeth was messing with my mind, the way she smelled like cookies, the way she was sitting on me, the way her eyes were locked with mine.

Annabeth obviously realized this power that she held over me, but she didn't do anything about it. She was good that way. Instead she just laughed, and I loved hearing that noise, I had missed it.

"You are such a Seaweed Brain," she said, pushing my hair out of my face and kissing my forehead. "I guess I could have called, but somehow that never worked. Ty-I mean, that guy," she giggled a little at my reaction, "didn't really want me calling anyone. He was really restrictive." Her smile faded and she looked away.

This snapped my out of my inability to speak coherently. "Hey, Annabeth, don't think about him, alright." I didn't like it when she wasn't smiling. I wrapped my arms around her waist. "You don't ever have to see him again, so just forget about him."

She nodded, and she smiled again, but just a little. "Thank you Percy." She rested her forehead against mine. "Thank you so much."

"N-No problem," I stuttered, my mind starting to spin again.

She laughed, hugged me, then got off the bed. She went over to the plate of cookies, grabbed a couple, then came back to the bed. She sat beside me and broke off a piece of one of the cookies, resting the other on her knee.

"Open your mouth," she said, holding up the piece of cookie.

I frowned. "Annabeth, I-" but I was cut off, because as soon as my mouth had opened the slightest bit, she had shoved the cookie between my lips. I sighed in resignation and ate the stupid piece of cookie. She grinned and gave me the rest of the cookie. I took it.

We lay back on my bed, both looking up at the ceiling, pointing out shapes to each other that I had been searching for earlier. The next time I glanced at my clock, it was two in the morning. My mom had long since gone to bed, and we had mostly finished the plate of cookies when Annabeth turned to look at me.

"Percy, I have to get out of this dress."

I sighed. "You should have told me that before my mom went to bed. She could have given you something to wear." I pushed myself off my bed and went over to my dresser. "I can try and find you something," I said as I began to go through my drawers.

I came across a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. I knew they would be way too big on Annabeth, but it was the best I could do. I turned around and handed them to her.

"I think there's an extra toothbrush in the bathroom under the sink too," I said as she took the clothes from my hands.

She nodded. "Alright. Thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes." She disappeared out my room door and into the hallway.

While she was gone, I changed into my own pajamas. I still wasn't sure what I was going to do about the sleeping situation. We didn't have a guest room or anything in my house. I didn't have much time to contemplate this though, as Annabeth returned fairly soon.

As I had predicted, the clothes were huge on her. She had cuffed the pants quite a bit, and my shirt hung to her mid-thighs. She had let her hair down and now it hung around her shoulders softly. She still looked absolutely beautiful.

It was difficult for me to leave the room to brush my teeth, and when I finally did, I brushed my teeth in about a minute, washed my face quickly, then returned to my room. Annabeth was lying on my bed, playing absently with a snow globe that my mom had insisted on putting in my room. A couple of orcas swam through liquid filled with blue bits of sparkles the same color as the walls of my room. She smiled as she shook it and the sparkles went into a flurry again.

I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Annabeth glanced at me over the snow globe.

"Hi."

I smiled a little, shaking my head. "Hi."

She rolled onto her side, set the snow globe on the table beside my bed, then grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the bed beside her.

Once I was lying down, she turned off the lamp on my side table so we were shrouded in darkness with only the moonlight leaking through the window, then she moved closer to me, her back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her obligingly. She sighed happily.

"Percy, I love you," she said quietly.

I smiled and hugged her closer. "I love you more."

She shook her head. "No you don't."

"Yes I do," I stated.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that girls are always right?" Annabeth teased.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I'm right on this one."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Whatever Percy." She didn't say anything after that. We just lay there, remembering what it felt like to be together until I my eyes began to close. I hugged Annabeth tighter, and then I drifted off.

**Annabeth's POV**

I noticed when Percy fell asleep, because his arms around me loosened a little. I slipped out of his grip and off the bed, careful not to wake him. Moonlight shone brightly through the window, and I walked over to it, looking out at the street where the occasional car passed by.

Thank the gods that I wasn't stuck with Tyler anymore. The last six months had been hell. I had missed Percy so much. I glanced over at him. He was smiling a little, probably having a good dream. His hair was sort of in his face. I walked over and pushed it away from his eyes.

I was hyper-aware of how good he smelled. He obviously used really good smelling aftershave. I sat on the edge of the bed and played absently with his hair. I wondered if he'd ever want to marry me. I knew that I wanted to stay with him for the rest of my life. I would never be happy with anyone else.

I lay down again, this time facing Percy. I traced his jaw line with my index finger. I moved my finger to his lips, touching them lightly. I smiled a little and ran my fingers through his hair. He shifted and made a weird little noise. I leaned forward and kissed his nose.

"Sleep well Percy," I whispered, manoeuvring back in between his arms. I closed my eyes, feeling completely happy and completely whole, and soon I fell asleep too.

**The END! Well, how was it? Review, let me know! I have another Percy Jackson Fanfic in my mind right now, I'm going to try and write it soon, so keep watch for that if you liked this one. REVIEW! Happy 2010!**

**~theSunlitEarth  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, you asked for it, so here it is. EPILOGUE. DUM DUM DUM! Anyway, I hope it's alright, it took me a while to write. By the way, I saw The Lightning Thief opening night. If you're a book purist, don't watch it, honestly. You'll probably hate it. It's maybe 90-95% inaccurate. But, see, my view on that it that it was kind of nice, because you didn't really know what was going to happen. It was like watching something totally different. I do wish it was a little closer to the book though. But it did have Logan Lerman in it, who is cute and has beautiful hair. So whatever. If you see it, let me know what you think! Also let me know about this epilogue too :)**

**Three Months Later:**

Annabeth moved about the kitchen, pouring coffee into a mug and setting it on the table, hoping the Percy would wake up before it got cold. She still didn't know how he drank the stuff though, and completely black too, no sugar or anything.

She shook her head, smiling a little as she buttered a piece of toast. She didn't understand how the last three months could have been the complete opposite of the six months prior. Three months with Percy had been the heaven she'd been searching for, however clichéd and ridiculous that sounded.

They'd gone to parties, gone bowling, roller skating (Percy fell about fifteen times), out for dinner, for walks by the river; everything she had never done with Tyler. And he had said he wanted to take her out again today.

She smiled and looked up when she heard his footsteps on the stairs. Moments later he stumbled into the kitchen, hair dishevelled, looking completely exhausted.

"Took you long enough, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth complained, albeit with a smile on her face as Percy blinked rapidly, trying to wake himself up.

"Sorry, I worked late," he said with a yawn.

"So you said last night before dropping off to sleep in the middle of the living room," she stated, dropping a plate of food on the table in front of him. "Just don't expect this to be a regular thing." She crossed her arms.

Percy laughed. "For all the nice things you do for me, you always add the stubbornness too."

"Well, I can't have you softening up too much. There might be a world for you to save again soon," she said, grinning.

Percy shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. "Oh gods, I hope not." He glanced at the clock absently. "Alright, so after school and work, we're going out. You know that, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "You've only told me a hundred times. You're off at eight tonight?"

"Yep, I'll come pick you up at the university."

Annabeth piled the dirty dishes in the sink. "Alright. You'd better get going though, or you'll miss your first class. And brush your hair!" she yelled after him as he inhaled his breakfast and dashed up the stairs to get ready.

Ten minutes later, he came back down, dressed, with his bag slung over his shoulder. He ran over to Annabeth, kissed her, then ran from the house.

"Tomorrow you're doing the dishes!" Annabeth called at him, right before the door slammed.

Percy drove through New York towards the university, checking his reflection nervously in the rear view mirror every couple minutes. He had put on the nicest, dressiest jeans he owned, Annabeth's favourites, a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top few buttons undone, and a dark gray fedora.

He pulled up to the university when the sun was nearing the horizon. Annabeth stood by the doors, waiting for him. She wore a little black dress that fell to a few inches above her knees. The skirt shimmered in the fading light.

She stepped up to the car, sliding into the passenger's seat. She closed the door, put on her seatbelt, then looked at Percy as he shifted into drive and stared out of the parking lot.

"You look good," she said, smiling a little.

"You look better," he replied, smirking.

Annabeth crossed her arms. "Have you been getting lines from Nico?"

Percy shook his head. "Made that up all on my own."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So where are we going?" she inquired, leaning back in her seat.

"You'll see," Percy said, grinning.

"I hate surprised," Annabeth grumbled, scowling.

"I know," Percy replied.

They drove in silence for a while, the only sounds being the rumble of the engines and the Michael Buble CD that Annabeth had taken the liberty of putting on.

After about ten minutes, Percy pulled up by Central Park. Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"We're taking a walk? Why am I dressed like this?"

Percy just smiled and got out of the care. Annabeth followed suite with a sigh. Percy locked the doors and the couple set off down a path.

"Where are we going?" Annabeth inquired.

Percy took her hand, rolling his eyes. "You're so impatient." But then he suddenly turned off the path towards a white pagoda, pulling Annabeth along with him. She blinked in surprise but didn't protest.

And when they were both in the pagoda and the sun had almost completely sunk below the horizon, painting the sky brilliant shades of yellow and orange, Percy got down on one knee in front of Annabeth. He pulled off his hat, then took her hand, smiling as her eyes widened.

"Annabeth Chase, I love you with all my heart, and I desperately want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that sometimes I really act like a Seaweed Brain, but I could never stand to see you with anyone else." He took a breath, studying Annabeth's shocked face. "I guess what I'm really trying to ask, Annabeth, is will you marry me?"

Percy pulled a box from his pants pocket and opened it. Inside sat a white gold ring with a single shimmering diamond in it. Annabeth looked down at him for a moment, then a smile broke out on her face.

"Get up, Seaweed Brain!" She pulled his to his feet and kissed him hard. After a long moment, she pulled away and nodded. "Yes, Percy, yes I will."

Percy grinned and took the ring out of the box, slipping it onto Annabeth's finger. He put the box away as she examined the ring.

"Sorry it's not very impressive. Your wedding ring will be bigger, I promise. I just don't get paid that much yet-" He broke off when Annabeth put a finger against his lips.

"Percy, it's perfect. You know I wouldn't want anything ostentatious anyway."

Percy exhaled, then smiled. "Good."

Annabeth crossed her arms. "Now is there another reason I'm all dressed up?"

Percy placed his fedora back on, then put an arm around her shoulders.

"Now we're going clubbing, to celebrate. Mainly because it's something you haven't experienced yet, thanks to that jerk." Percy always refered to Tyler as 'that jerk' since he had 'rescued' Annabeth from him.

Annabeth grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Absolutely nothing," Percy said with a smile as they walked towards the nearest club, just across the street. "But now we have all the time in the world together."

Annabeth glanced up at him, unable to stop smiling. "Yeah, Percy, we do."


End file.
